00-02 Corolla vvti engines, advice please

dnme

Folks

I have been reading around that the vvt-i engine in the 00-02 Corolla burns oil. If I was shoping for a Corolla from that period, is there anything I can do to cover myself?

Was there an engine upgrade that solved the issue? (if so I could limit my search to just these engines)

Do they all burn oil? or just the ones that were abused?

What year was the issue resolved? (again if I could limit my search to just good years etc)

Any other tips? I dont want a car that burns oil, that would be a deal breaker for me.

Many thanks

BOSTIK

I’ve a 2001 Corolla for the last year and a half or so, and have clocked up about 45,000 miles in that time. It does use oil alright, probably needs topping up with a litre every 4 to 5 weeks. I’ve been using the Castrol GTX 15/40w oil on the advice of the mechanic, and getting it changed every 7/8,000 miles, so far so good. Never a sign of a warning light or anything either.

It’s no harm to keep an eye on oil levels no matter what car you have anyway, but I’ve never had any trouble with the car apart from a blown coil pack during the rainy weather before Christmas.

CJhaughey

My wife has a 00 corolla with the 1.4 VVti No problems with oil consumption and it has 82k on it now.
Most of the affected engines would have been fixed by Toyota under a recall, they did a short block replacement IIRC.

fonecrusher1

Parents owned a 1.4 vvti corolla for years & oil consumption was normal. Dull car but mechanically it was faultless. Literally.

Bif

Wife has a '00 1.4vvti with 95k and it uses no oil (using semi synthetic) between changes. A very dull but very reliable car that does everything reasonably well and in general is very cheap to run.

dnme

Just wondering if I went to view one, is there any trick I can employ to determine if car is burning oil?

I know, look for blue smoke but that is often tricky when you are on your own. I guess I could get owner to start and rev it while I check exhaust. Not many irish cars have fsh unfortunately. I dread the thoughts of back street mech's or diy'ers putting wrong oil in over years :eek:

Gurgle

Likewise, we've an '01 with ~130k miles on the clock and it likes to be fed a litre every 3-4 months.

Its not problem, its a feature

bazz26

A 00 Corolla is now 10 years old, I'd say if it was one of the engines effected by excessive oil use then the block would have been replaced at this stage. My old man had one of these for almost 5 years and oil never had to be topped up between service intervals.

As with looking at any used car have a mechanic check it out before buying.

fonecrusher1

To be honest OP i don't think you have too much to worry about with a corolla unless its been thrashed or neglected to within an inch of its life.

Just get it checked by a mechanic & they'll be able to tell a mile away if its knackered.

dnme

Thanks for all the replies guys. As a side, I'm just wondering what is the most economical engine / body combination in the Corolla from that era (00-02)?

1.3L / Hatch?
1.4 / Hatch?
1.4 / Tiltback
1.4 Saloon
1.6 GS /any?

Which will give me the most mpg for sesnible (60mph-) driving?

fonecrusher1

If theres one car i can advise you not to get its the 00 - 02 corolla saloon. Parents had one & it didn't even have split-fold rear seats thus making it the most impractical car ever built. PLease don't get one.
Get the 00 - 02 5 door lift back, yes its a bit ugly but the handy rear hatch is a life saver for carrying stuff & it'll do 40mpg combined motorway/city driving.

dnme

Guys

Can I ask your opinions on these

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201009353891609/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/3000/price-from/1000/transmission/manual/quantity-of-doors/5/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old/model/corolla/make/toyota/page/1/postcode/bt12lh/radius/1500/keywords/2001?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201011354629868/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/3000/price-from/1000/transmission/manual/quantity-of-doors/5/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old/model/corolla/make/toyota/page/1/postcode/bt12lh/radius/1500/keywords/2001?logcode=p

Both in UK, VRT would be approx €500, say expenses of €400. Basically I could have a 2001 Corolla with a FSH for €2500. Is it worth it? (the day out in UK would be an adventure, not a hassle - as Im unemployed )

zilog_jones

They're certainly better spec than any Irish Corolla, and they look well kept. That's a lot of money for something that old though...

dnme

zilog_jones wrote: »

They're certainly better spec than any Irish Corolla, and they look well kept. That's a lot of money for something that old though...

Yeah they are over priced especially in Ireland as we seem to have a love affair wth them. Prices for a 2001 Corolla range from €2500 to €9000 online (yes €9000) but the realistic average seems to be 3-3.5k in Ireland.

bazz26

Actually the only real difference between high spec UK Corollas and bog standard Irish spec ones of that era is UK ones had a cd player and air con.

1.4 litre engine is nippy enough having 97bhp and is also economical, the 3 door is less common but the most sought after model in the range especially with the modified crew. The 5 door is the most practical having a split folding seat but the 4 door saloon is the most common given Ireland's love with saloons.

CJhaughey

The Corolla estate is unloved, not surprising really seeing as Ireland never liked estates no matter what they are.
This can make them very affordable and they are quite a load carrier compared to the rest of the range.
60/40 split rear seating means there is a big load area with the seats folded down.
My wifes car averages 43 mpg all the time
I look at them as a workhorse, they do what you want when you want, they may not have charisma but they don't usually drop shyte everywhere either.
Turn the key and they go and go and go.....

fonecrusher1

CJhaughey wrote: »

The Corolla estate is unloved, not surprising really seeing as Ireland never liked estates no matter what they are.
This can make them very affordable and they are quite a load carrier compared to the rest of the range.

Good point. Forgot about the rare old estate corolla. Dammit ive been trumped.

BOSTIK

It's the 1.4 saloon that I drive. Gives about 52 mpg, that's mainly on national roads, though anytime I drive on secondary ones it doesn't seem too thirsty either. Spec is basic enough, mind you the radio cassette got me listening to old stuff that had been buried for years, and anyway the CD player in my previous car was useless altogether. I'm very happy with mine, and plan to keep it till it drops.

Bif

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

If theres one car i can advise you not to get its the 00 - 02 corolla saloon. Parents had one & it didn't even have split-fold rear seats thus making it the most impractical car ever built. PLease don't get one.
Get the 00 - 02 5 door lift back, yes its a bit ugly but the handy rear hatch is a life saver for carrying stuff & it'll do 40mpg combined motorway/city driving.

Same as; 40mpg + or - depending on how you drive.